Researchers from the Institute of Genetic Medicine at Newcastle University in England have announced that a class of generic HIV drugs often used in Africa and in developing countries in other parts of the world can cause premature aging and lead to age-related illnesses, such as heart disease and dementia. They found that nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) -- the best known NRTI is Retrovir (zidovudine, AZT) -- damage DNA in the patient's mitochondria, the "batteries" that power cells.

Advertisement

"The DNA in our mitochondria gets copied throughout our lifetimes and, as we age, naturally accumulates errors," Patrick Chinnery, the lead author of the study, told Reuters. He added, "We believe these HIV drugs accelerate the rate at which these errors build up. So over the space of, say, 10 years, a person's mitochondrial DNA may have accumulated the same amount of errors as a person who has naturally aged 20 or 30 years."

In countries such as the U.S., people living with HIV are more likely to have access to newer classes of drugs, but in the developing world, cheaper generic medicines such as the NRTIs are the only meds that are available. Scientists said it was unlikely that newer cocktails of HIV drugs made by firms such as Gilead, Merck, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline would inflict similar levels of damage, since they are thought to be less toxic to mitochondria. But more research is needed to be certain.

A new article in the Clarion-Ledger adds to the complaints by highlighting how the state turns its back on people living with HIV in Mississippi by having no housing policies for them. The article discusses how housing is a human rights issue; the difficulties that homeless people living with HIV have in receiving any kind of state funds; and how stigma and discrimination from landlords make it difficult for people living with HIV to rent apartments.

The Clarion-Ledger reported:

Mississippi received $1.92 million in HOPWA funds in 2010, according to the 2010 State Healthcare Access Research Project report.

Across the state, the number of people served amounted to fewer than 1,000.

HOPWA funds do not go to the homeless. You must have a home to be eligible for help.

And Mississippi does not participate in HOPWA programs that provide funds for long-term aid.

This failure to apply for all available federal funds "compounds an already urgent problem," says the Human Rights Watch Report, "Rights at Risk."

Still, the state of Alabama receives a similar amount of HOPWA funds but houses more people with it, said Megan McLemore, senior health researcher with Human Rights Watch.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) gave 12 grants aimed at improving HIV prevention and treatment among prison and jail inmates. The Miriam Hospital, in Providence, Rhode Island, has received three of the 12 grants for its collaborative work with Brown University, the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.

The awards are part of Seek, Test, and Treat: Addressing HIV in the Criminal Justice System -- the NIH's largest initiative to date to aggressively identify and treat HIV-positive inmates, parolees and probationers and help them continue care when they return to their home communities. The grants will fund the following projects:

A randomized, controlled trial and cohort study of HIV testing: Clearly there is a link between incarcerated individuals and HIV, but less is known about high-risk behaviors for HIV in those on probation and parole.

Improving Linkages to HIV Care Following Release From Incarceration: This will focus on improving the link between HIV-positive inmates and HIV care following release from incarceration.

CARE Corrections: Technology for Jail HIV/HCV Testing, Linkage and Care: Jails and correctional facilities provide a unique opportunity to offer HIV testing and treatment to a high-risk population. Since length of stay is often very short, however, HIV screening and intervention need to be conducted both efficiently and cost-effectively. This study will modify two interactive health communications tools, known as CARE and CARE+.

"The Miriam Hospital and our partners are proud to lend our collective expertise to this important initiative. Having the support of the NIH will go a long way toward our shared goal of improving HIV care and treatment in correctional facilities and ensuring HIV interventions continue after individuals are released from prison," says Timothy Flanigan, M.D., Director of Infectious Diseases at Rhode Island and The Miriam Hospitals.

(Please note: Your name and comment will be public, and may even show up in Internet search results. Be careful when providing personal information! Beforeadding your comment, please read TheBody.com's Comment Policy.)

The Body is a service of Remedy Health Media, LLC, 750 3rd Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The Body and its logos are trademarks of Remedy Health Media, LLC, and its subsidiaries, which owns the copyright of The Body's homepage, topic pages, page designs and HTML code. General Disclaimer: The Body is designed for educational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. The information provided through The Body should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, consult your health care provider.